I Like Guns - Steve Lee

The Power & Danger of Iconography

Command and Control, or Empower and Liberate?

“Strive to create the most business-friendly economy in the
nation and jobs WILL follow!”

By Representative Mark Buesgens

I just spent four months on something created by DFL House
Speaker Margaret Kelliher called the Minnesota House Jobs
Task Force. During countless hours of hearings and
testimony from a dizzying array of political wonks,
(with a minimal number of business owners sprinkled in),
the goal of a more business-friendly economy rarely
came up. Instead, we heard a lot of talk about the need
for moregovernment intervention.

Democrats (who dominated the committee 28-8) are lining up
another mammoth round of borrowing, which creates only
short-term jobs in sectors dictated by the government.
They want to embark on new spending under the Orwellian
pretense of retraining workers for “new” jobs -dictated by
the government.  Perhaps most amazing, they cling to the
fading hopes of re-orienting the nation’s economy based on
the discredited premise of preventing climate change.

Their type of “command-and-control” governing suffers from
two fatal flaws that make it incompatible with a business-
friendly economy: it is grounded in the notion that
government creates jobs and wealth, and it relies on
raising taxes – on everybody.

The DFL proposals necessitate government picking economic
winners & losers to create a sustainable business climate.
This model is challenged very simply by asking the
following questions: Who has created more jobs, Nancy Pelosi
and Harry Reid, or Bill Gates and Fred Smith?  And another
critical question: When did government identify the next
Steve Jobs or Sam Walton?  Politicians cannot create the same
high-quality jobs as entrepreneurs and business owners.
Government has not picked out the next innovator or success
story, and it never will. In short, government is worthless
at picking winners & losers—but that is what the DFL's
agenda is.

The DFL proposals must raise taxes today to cover new
spending, and raise taxes tomorrow to cover new borrowing.
We can’t even afford the government we already have.  There
is no possible way we can afford the government Democrats
want without reaching even deeper into our already pilfered
pockets.  This threat suffocates any discussion of new
job growth.

Thankfully, there exists another path.  By liberating
individuals and businesses from the burdens of government
and empowering them to create new growth, we can turn a
future of high taxes and deep deficits into one of new
prosperity and common good.  We know that catchy slogans
fail to get the job done (remember Hope and Change?). Here
are three concrete steps for making Minnesota more
job-friendly.

Reduce the regulatory burdens that weigh on expansion.
Environmentalists (the Copenhagen types) have an iron
grip on the state’s environmental and energy policies that
are choking the life out of our economy.  Permits and
reviews drag on for months while other states finish them in
days or weeks, making us a less attractive place to start a
business.  In good economic times these regulations made job
growth difficult. In tough economic times they make job
growth impossible.

End the pandemic of uncertainty.  The risks of new income
taxes, hugely expensive cap-and-trade energy schemes, or
expensive new health care mandates are making expansion an
uncertain endeavor in this time of already tight margins.
Resisting these damaging policies will send the clear message
that we prioritize job creation in Minnesota and will free up
capital currently forced to the sidelines.

Balance the employer-employee relationship.  In order for the
employer-employee relationship to be of mutual benefit, both
sides have to be on a level playing field.  Transitioning to
a right-to-work state and resisting the call of more mandated
benefits will send potential job creators the message that
Minnesota welcomes their entrepreneurial spirit.

Instead of relying on tax increases, these three steps to job
growth rely on the government exercising fiscal restraint and
responsibility. This will accomplish two things.  First, it
will prevent the government sprawl we have seen with its
involvement in banking, the auto industry and now health care.
Second, it will force government to run more efficiently,
reforming the programs that need change and jettisoning those
that are unnecessary.  A more efficient delivery of government
services means less demand for higher taxes and tells
potential job creators that we would love to have them relocate
to our state.

Four months of the Speaker’s Jobs Task Force has produced
nothing that would encourage potential private sector job
providers. Instead, it has only served to heighten uncertainty
and concerns and exacerbated our job loss condition.  We can
no longer afford to sit on our hands while jobs, people and
economic capital leave for warmer and more affordable
pastures. The time for real leadership and action is now. 

Franken's loud enough, he's rude enough

And, gosh darn it, people hate him



When Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota Democrat, was a comedian, he was never that funny. Take the title of his book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" - that's some high-quality humor there. Clever, daring and yet so second grade. But when Minnesotans elected him to the Senate, Mr. Franken promised that those days were behind him and that he would work hard to win over his colleagues. So far, his presence in the Senate is making it a less civil place. If the old Mr. Franken were to write a book about it, the title might be "Al Franken Is a Dirty Rotten Liar."



The above from an editorial printed recently in the Washington Times about our Minnesota embarrassment, Senator Al Franken. What a shame we will have live with him for six years. Read the rest of the story here...

Some comments left on the Washington Times website,

"What were the idiot voters of MN thinking to send a snollygoster like franken to the Senate."

"Many of us have highly partisan elected officials, at least our have the good sense to keep their mouths shut. Franken may not be that funny, but he has turned Minnesota into a laughingstock."

"As usual, the emptiest barrel always makes the most noise. ...............FRANKEN is a certified MORON. Minnesota should be duly embarrassed and shamed by their electing such a WASTE."

"People that keep electing buffoons like Franken, the Kennedys, Barbara Boxer, and Dick Durbin should be none too surprised if the rest of the nation questions their ability to wisely select their political leaders. A lot of these type of dysfunctional leaders are the very ones behind the policies that have created most of these states' major problems in the first place. Unfortunately, when these morons get elected as senator, now that state's dysfunctionality ends up becoming the whole nation's problem."

"Like his master, Obama, Franken has all the makings of a populist demagogue. One could almost imagine him in another era as a brown-shirted SA bully."

"The Franken ilk rises to office because the voters that "sent them up" are either ignorant, ill informed, naive, or looking for a hand out. Way too many from that state that elects this kind of reptile and more like them in my home state of Louisiana are little more than mouth breathers. Like the man said. elections are where the ignorant and ill informed legitimize the corrupt and unconscionable.............welcome to Obamanation!"

"Minnesotans get to watch someone else make an ass of himself since Jesse Ventura isn't around for laughs anymore. Actually Jesse was funnier than Al, and not half as dangerous. Electing Al was the only way we could figure to get him out of the State. Seemed like a good idea at the time. We don't need distractions while we labor to turn Minneapolis into the next Detroit."

"When you meet someone from Minn make sure you say something really rude to them but preface it with, "As your Senator Al Franken would say, what the f--- do you know? Isn't he a great guy?"

"Regardless of party affiliation, the man is graceless and obnoxious. The people who voted him in should think twice before reelecting him. He, clearly, does not bring honor to the Senate and is just out of his depth. He hurls insults because he has no ideas."

"You all seem to be forgetting that this posterboy for the modern democrat party was not elected. It took an army of lawyers (ACORN staffers?), countless recounts and "adjustments" to get this turd into office."

"Your right; Franken was never that funny! Now with his attempts to immitate a real Senator, he's still not funny! However if he's trying to imitate an idiot, he's doing a great job."

A Carol from Flanders

by Frederick Niven (1878-1944)

This poem recounts the story of the spontaneous 1914 Christmas truce
along the lines of the Western front.

In Flanders on the Christmas morn
The trenched foemen lay,
the German and the Briton born,
And it was Christmas Day.

The red sun rose on fields accurst,
The gray fog fled away;
But neither cared to fire the first,
For it was Christmas Day!

They called from each to each across
The hideous disarray,
For terrible has been their loss:
"Oh, this is Christmas Day!"

Their rifles all they set aside,
One impulse to obey;
'Twas just the men on either side,
Just men — and Christmas Day.

They dug the graves for all their dead
And over them did pray:
And Englishmen and Germans said:
"How strange a Christmas Day!"

Between the trenches then they met,
Shook hands, and e'en did play
At games on which their hearts were set
On happy Christmas Day.

Not all the emperors and kings,
Financiers and they
Who rule us could prevent these things —
For it was Christmas Day.

Oh ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day
Shall be as Christmas Day.

Stolen from a blog comment....

I saw this in a comment on a news story today. It's too good to pass up.....

"Let me get this straight. We just passed a health care plan written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president that also hasn't read it, and who smokes, with funding to be administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's nearly broke. What possibly could go wrong? - Dave"

Merry Christmas

"Here then, for one night only, each home throughout the
English-speaking world should be a brightly lighted island of happiness
and peace. Let the children have their night of fun and laughter. Let
the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups
share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to
the stern tasks and formidable year that lie before us. Resolved that
by our sacrifice and daring these same children shall not be robbed of
their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent
world.

And so, in God's mercy, a happy Christmas to you all."

Winston Churchill - 1941

Franken, Klobuchar Vote For Massive Tax Increases, Deep Medicare Cuts & Taxpayer Funded Abortions

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton issued the following statement today regarding Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar’s votes in favor of the Senate health care bill.

“After weeks of shady backroom payoffs, unseemly sweetheart deals and Enron style accounting, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar sold out Minnesota today by voting for a reckless nearly trillion dollar spending bill that increases premiums, raises taxes by $500 billion, cuts Medicare by over $470 billion and mandates that taxpayers fund abortion on demand. Candidate Obama promised America an open legislative process played out on C-SPAN. Instead, we saw a sleazy, secretive power play where Harry Reid bought off senators to get to 60 votes. In 2010, Democrats will pay a steep political price for their decision to ram this unpopular bill down the throats of the American people.”

Get the Race Card Advantage: A Free Pass on Everything!

From Sonja Schmidt at PajamasTV.com, an advertisement for the Deck-o-Race Cards!




OK. I'm on a Sonja Schmidt kick at the moment. Here are a couple more videos from my favorite woman of the moment,

DOJ Decision Can’t Obscure Rybak’s Woeful Record Cutting Cops, Wasting Money

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton issued the following statement today regarding the decision by the United States Department of Justice to grant approval to the city of Minneapolis’ application for a grant to hire 13 police officers fired by R.T. Rybak.

“R.T. Rybak is the king of wasteful spending. As mayor, he’s wasted millions in taxpayer dollars on artistic water fountains, the promotion of tap water and vegetative roofs. Today’s decision by the Department of Justice allowing the city of Minneapolis to rehire 13 police officers who never should have been fired in the first place can’t obscure the fact Rybak has recklessly cut cops and squandered millions on frivolous and ridiculous spending sprees.”

Rybak’s Ridiculous & Wasteful Spending: A Primer

Rybak Spent $500,000 On 10 Water Fountains. “During the Aquatennial festival that begins Friday, the city plans to unveil concepts for 10 artist-designed drinking fountains that Rybak championed at $50,000 each. Typical park fountains cost as little as $6,000.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

• “Rybak said he wants bubbling, gurgling fountains reminiscent of the kind he drank from as a kid growing up in the city. ‘I want that romance of water in a city of waters to be something that's just core to living in our city,’ he said.” (Steve Brandt, “Price tag on drinking fountains causes a lot of gulps,” Star Tribune, July 12, 2008)

Rybak Spent $180,000 To Promote City Tap Water. “The city of Minneapolis is spending nearly $200,000 to sell something that would seem to sell itself: tap water. … Tap Minneapolis is the city's new web site, and PR campaign to promote the city's tap water. But unlike tap water, it's not cheap. The web site costs $75,000. The total cost paid to the PR firm was $180,000.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

• “The water campaign was Mayor R.T. Rybak’s idea. He also brought us those decorative water fountains a year ago.” (“Mpls Taxpayer Money to Promote Tap Water,” KMSP, Watch Here, June 22, 2009)

Rybak Brought In $175 An Hour Facilitator To Help City Council Members Trust One Another. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the new City Council sat down for more than three hours Thursday morning in an attempt to ease the lingering bitterness from the previous day's leadership votes. The meeting focused on trust and on when a person's word can be relied upon. Rybak brought in facilitator Linda Houden - at $175 an hour - to help council members find ways to work together effectively.” (Rochelle Olson, “Sore feelings on the City Council,” Star Tribune, January 4, 2002)

• Rybak Later Returned Campaign Cash From Facilitator. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will return contributions made to his campaign last year by the $175-an-hour facilitator hired by the city to help him and City Council members develop good working relationships. … [Linda] Houden, of the Minneapolis firm DOR & Associates, donated $650 to Rybak's campaign through Oct. 22, according to Rybak's most recent disclosure form. Individuals are limited to $500 in contributions to mayoral campaigns in election years, and Sether said it was likely the campaign previously refunded the extra $150.” (Rochelle Olson, “Rybak says he'll return donation from facilitator,” Star Tribune, January 5, 2002)

Minneapolis Taxpayers Responsible For Shelling Out $5.3 Million For Target Center’s Vegetative Roof. “The Minneapolis City Council marked its last meeting of the year Friday with a flurry of actions that imposed a hiring freeze, regulated news boxes, approved a green roof for the Target Center and created a zone aimed at a cleaner, safer downtown. … A $5.3 million reroofing of the Target Center that includes a vegetative main roof was approved as part of the city's environmental sustainability agenda.” (Steve Brandt, “Minneapolis freezes hiring, fearing aid cuts,” Star Tribune, December 13, 2008)

Rybak Reimbursed Taxpayers $10,000 Over Newsletter He Used For Self Promotion. “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak decided Tuesday to reimburse taxpayers $10,000 for the glossy newsletter he sent at a cost of $42,556 to all city residents at the start of an election year. … ‘I will hold myself to a higher standard by reimbursing the City $10,000, which is half of the production cost of the newsletter,’ the mayor said in a written statement. The payment comes three months after state Auditor Pat Anderson called on Rybak to reimburse the city because she said parts of the newsletter violated the law against using taxpayer funds for self-promotion.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)

• “Rybak's eight-page newsletter included five pictures of Rybak and the headline, ‘Minneapolis news from Mayor R.T. Rybak.’ State law allows politicians to inform the general public of activities. It also says the ‘report or publication must not include pictures of elected officials nor any other pictorial or graphic device that would tend to attribute the publication to an individual or group of individuals instead of the political subdivision. Portions of Rybak's newsletter crossed that line, Anderson said.” (Rochelle Olson, “City ethics panel clears Rybak, but he agrees to pay for part of pamphlet,” Star Tribune, April 20, 2005)

Illegal Immigrants in Cambodia

We need more immigration officials, (and policies) like they have in Cambodia. The law is the law and "illegal immigrant" has real meaning to the officials in Cambodia. Our government should "send them back" also.

Muslim Uighurs to be Expelled from Cambodia

Cambodia said Saturday it would expel 20 Muslim Uighurs who sought refuge after unrest in China's Xinjiang region, despite protests from the United States and rights activists.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong declined to say where the Uighurs would be sent, but exile groups said the group would be deported to China where they could face torture.

"They are illegal immigrants and according to Cambodian immigration law they should be expelled from the country. So we must expel them," the spokesman said.

Interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said it would "take seven days to send all of them out of Cambodia".

The group arrived at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office after clashes between Xinjiang's Uighurs and China's majority Han ethnic group in July nearly 200 dead and 1,600 injured, according to official tolls. (hat tip Atlas Shrugs)

Health care and abortion

If you want to distill why the health care "reform" currently before the US Senate is a Bad Idea, you need look no further than the issue of abortion.

Abortion is an issue where there is very little middle ground. Either it is the taking of human life, or it's not. If you believe that it is, then there is very little justification for murder. If you believe that abortion is not - that a fetus is just a lump of flesh - then abortion is a right, and should be exercised freely and state funding must not be denied.

The health care "reform" is the classic "one size fits all". The senate bill will allow the federal government to dictate what will and won't be covered by insurance policies nationwide. It will become illegal to sell insurance, and effectively to provide medical services without the approval of federal regulators.

If passed, federal health care officials will be required to decide on the question of abortion. Will it be covered by insurance or not? If covered, it is inevitable that it will also be funded by taxpayers. If it is not covered, it will be far more difficult (or even impossible) to get a doctor to perform an abortion.

Who supports such a "one size fits all" solution for the explosive issue of abortion?

Who supports giving our right to debate and legislate on this issue over to unelected federal bureaucrats?

Who wants to give an elite group of Washington DC insiders the power to make our most intimate decisions for us?

The Government Takeover of Medicine (aka "health care reform") is a very bad idea. Write or call your representatives and tell them, before it's too late.

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW About Obama Democrats' Binge Spending

1. Dems Will Pay For Binge Spending With $1.8 Trillion Increase In Limit On Taxpayers' Credit Card, Largest 1-Time Increase In History. (David Rogers, "Dems To Lift Debt Ceiling By $1.8 Trillion, Fear 2010 Backlash," Politico, 12/9/09; White House Office Of Management And Budget, "Table 7.3--Statutory Limits On Federal Debt: 1940-Current," Accessed 12/11/09)

2. Obama's Deficit In 1^st Month Of 1^st Full Fiscal Year: $176 Billion; Deficit During Bush's Entire 1^st Full Fiscal Year: $159 Billion. (Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2002: A Congressional Budget Office Analysis, Congressional Budget Office, 11/8/02; Jeanne Sahadi, "October Deficit $176 Billion," CNNMoney.com, 12/10/09)

3. Obama Rang Up Record-Setting $1.42 Trillion Deficit In 1^st Year In Office, Nearly Triple The Previous Record. (David Jackson, "Obama Team Makes It Official, Budget Deficit Hits Record. By A Lot," USA Today's "The Oval" Blog, 10/16/09)

4. Obama's Non-Defense Discretionary Spending To Increase By 16 Percent This Year, Highest 1-Year Increase Since Jimmy Carter In 1978. (White House Office Of Management And Budget, "Table 8.7--Outlays For Discretionary Programs: 1962-2014," Accessed 12/11/09)

5. Obama's Binge Spending Will Nearly Double National Debt Over 9 Years, From $11.9 Trillion To $23 Trillion. (White House Office Of Management And Budget, "Mid-Session Review: Fiscal Year 2010," 8/25/09)

6. Obama's Binge Spending Will Lead To National Debt Being 76 Percent Of GDP By 2019, Largest Percentage In 60 Years. ("Report To The Secretary Of The Treasury: Financial Audit: Bureau Of The Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2009 And 2008 Schedules Of Federal Debt," United States Government Accounting Office, 11/09; Lori Montgomery, "Deficit Projected To Soar With New Programs," The Washington Post, 8/26/09)

7. Obama Has Increased Size Of Government By 64 Percent Since Taking Office, Largest Increase In At Least 3 Decades. (White House Office Of Management And Budget, "Discretionary Budget Authority By Agency: 1976-2014," Accessed, 12/11/09)

Pat Anderson on the Next Generation Energy Act

This is too good for me to pass up. She sure sticks it to one of her opponents!


Minnesota's own job-killing energy legislation imposes higher energy prices on Minnesotans

In 2007 with the blessing of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty and Democratic leadership and some bi-partisan support in the House and Senate, the Legislature passed the "Next Generation Energy Act" with fanfare about it being a bold investment in renewable power that would motivate energy conservation and decrease Minnesota's contribution to global warming. Noble-sounding ideas at the time, but as people tell me on the campaign trail the immediate consequence is a 20 percent rate increase in their utility bills for next year.

Duluth-based Minnesota Power, for example, is seeking a new rate increase before the end of 2009, citing, in part, the cost of increasing renewable-energy generation. Under the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007, utilities must generate a quarter of their energy from renewable resources by 2025.

It should be noted that not all Republican legislators succumbed to pressure from environmental groups and the governor's office to foist the Next Generation Energy Act on Minnesotans. Two of my opponents in this race showed political courage and did the right thing and voted against the conference committee report. In the House, Rep. Tom Emmer voted against the legislation, voting against House Minority Leader Mary Seifert, who helped engineer a large margin of victory for the DFL-sponsored bill (S.F.145). In the Senate, Sen. David Hann stood up and voted against the bill.

The Next Generation Energy Act set two overall energy goals for the state: (1) the per capita use of fossil fuel as an energy input be reduced by 15 percent by the year 2015, through increased reliance on energy efficiency and renewable energy alternatives; and (2) 25 percent of the total energy used in the state be derived from renewable energy resources by the year 2025. That's a lot of windmills and solar panels.

The legislation has no basis in reality.

Of course, there was no methodology or justification for those ambitious goals in either the legislation or the reports that recommended the targets. In a paper published by the Minnesota Free Market Institute, David Strom notes that the report of the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group (MCCAG) on which the Next Generation Energy Act was based "overstates the costs of CO2 emissions, overstates the benefits of reduction measures, understates the costs and difficulties of remediation measures, and calls for actions that are directly at odds with Minnesota's recently adopted transportation policies."

One doesn't need to be a policy researcher to understand the concerns. The Next Generation Energy Act is a political document, not science-based energy policy. It is a less-than-transparent attempt to expand government control over a greater share of the state economy with utter disregard for the impact on the average Minnesotan. We are seeing that same disregard today in Washington and Copenhagen.

To the point of the people I'm talking to around the state: Because of the Next Generation Energy Act, utility companies like Minnesota Power are raising the cost of energy to current customers to pay for the necessary capital investments to meet the renewable standards. In other words, Minnesotans are today footing the bill for renewable energy they are not even getting and that will cost them even more in the future. They are paying more and getting less.

We must undo the damage.

First, immediately, the next governor must use her authority as chief executive to ensure consumer interests are represented at the Public Utility Commission. Today, the input the commission receives is dominated by environmental groups and special interests and the consumer has virtually no voice. This must change, and the governor, irrespective of legislative action, has authority to act.

Second, the next governor must throw her support to repeal of unrealistic energy targets and actions that would cripple the economy but have little impact on environmental protection. Minnesota must have clean, reliable, and inexpensive sources of energy. We must pass legislation that enables all forms of energy to compete in the marketplace, which certainly includes renewable. However, we must also remove unnecessary barriers to clean coal and nuclear power.

Third, we must insist that any future energy legislation be based on scientific and economic reality and not political agendas. Playing the "green job card" is a simplistic way to curry favor with the media and enhance one's political capital, but it is not the way to a better Minnesota. You don't create "green jobs" or any other color jobs when you impose legislation that requires producing less energy at greater cost. You can't achieve emission targets by simply imposing them when the technology is not there to achieve them.

We Republicans cannot run away from this one. Some in our party leadership were as complicit as the Democrats in passing the Next Generation Energy Act. It's a prime example of what went wrong with the Republican Party. Trying to "move to the middle" by buying into the left's agenda is once more coming back to haunt us. And it's Minnesotans that have to live with the consequences.

Now is the time to undo what was done. As your governor, I pledge no less.

Thanks for your support --

Pat

First Amendment on drugs

The FCC's proposed "Net Neutrality" rules put the FCC in control of internet content. The newspaper equivalent would be the federal government deciding that it needs to monitor and regulate what newspapers print - from front page to advertising circular

The logic of proponents of these rules is loosely modeled on the "fairness doctrine" for broadcasting, which is, of course, anything but fair.

This post is an excellent treatment of the law, history and philosophical and political heritage of the "Net Neutralistas".

Net Neutrality - using the first amendment to control free speech.

Only in America.....

Shelley Madore Set To Challenge Kline in 2nd District

I first was witness to what I judge as a total lack of class by ex-representative, Shelley Madore, after a forum at the Eagan Community Center, Madore stood with a group of people and publicly bashed fellow legislators.

After losing to Tara Mack for reelection last year, she is now stepping forward to challenge John Kline for his seat as Congressman from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district.

In a year that was a blowout for democrats, Madore lost. Does anyone really think she has a chance of unseating Kline? I highly doubt it and personally hope she gets the endorsement.

My experience witnessing Madore in action reminded me of a coarse, loud, and obnoxious Rosey O'Donnel. No class whatsoever. Her irritating performance occurred immediately following a forum sponsored by the Transportation Alliance of Minnesota. Her badmouthing of her fellow state representatives went on for over a half hour. I was in the hallway with a group of people and we were wondering what set her off!

With a candidate like Madore stepping up to the plate, the GOP can look forward to great successes next year!

Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota granted MNGOP Affiliate Status

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - The Republican Party of Minnesota voted to approve the Minnesota Chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLCMN) as an official party Affiliate at the semiannual meeting of the State Central Committee on Saturday. The RLCMN is the first chapter to be added as an Affiliate since 2005.

"Accepting the RLCMN as an affiliate group sends the message that the Minnesota GOP is truly the party that stands for limited government, individual rights and free markets," said David FitzSimmons, chairman of the RLCMN. "That message resonates with the many Minnesotans who feel the party and the state have moved away from those core principles. Like other affiliate groups, the RLCMN offers a path into the Republican Party for people who believe in our principles but haven't thought of themselves as Republicans."

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a national organization that advocates for public policies that restore liberty, not restrict it; shrink government, not expand it; reduce taxes, not raise them; abolish programs, not create them; promote the freedom and independence of citizens, not the interferences of government in their lives; and observe the limited, enumerated powers of our Constitution, not ignore them. The Minnesota Chapter was chartered in 2003. It has experienced triple digit growth in the last year as more conservatives and independents have become concerned about the expansion of government into the private sector. More information can be found at http://rlcmn.org

Infant left to die by socialized medicine‏

Someone emailed this to me,

Doctors left a premature baby to die because he was born two days too early, his devastated mother claimed yesterday.

Sarah Capewell begged them to save her tiny son, who was born just 21 weeks and five days into her pregnancy - almost four months early.

They ignored her pleas and allegedly told her they were following national guidelines that babies born before 22 weeks should not be given medical treatment.

Read more here...

DEMS TO SENIORS: BID FAREWELL TO YOUR DOCTORS, BENEFITS

Senate Dems Vote To Cut Hundreds Of Billions From Medicare To Fund Their Health Care Experiment

View This Research Briefing At GOP.com

SENATE DEMS VOTE TO KEEP NEARLY $500 BILLION IN MEDICARE CUTS TO FUND TWO NEW ENTITLEMENTS IN THEIR HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT

CBO Says Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) Health Care Experiment "Cuts Medicare Spending By $491 Billion Over 10 Years." (Chris Frates, "CBO Score," Politico's "Live Pulse" Blog, 11/18/09)

• Cuts That CBO Says Could "Reduce Access To Care Or Diminish The Quality Of Care." (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 1, 17)

• To Help Pay For New Subsidies In Government-Run Health Insurance Scheme. "The bill is ... intended to make the middle class more dependent on government ... It creates a vast new entitlement, financed by European levels of taxation on business and individuals." (Editorial, "The Lords Of Entitlement," The Wall Street Journal, 11/9/09)

• And Fund A Long-Term Care Entitlement Program That Many Senate Dems Say Will "Increase Deficits." "Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) wrote in the letter that they are concerned the CLASS Act would increase deficits. ... 'We have grave concerns that the real effect of the provisions would be to create a new federal entitlement program with large, long term spending increases that far exceed revenues,' they wrote." (Stephanie Condon, "Moderate Senators Oppose Long Term Health Care Proposal," CBS News's "Political Hot Sheet" Blog, 10/28/09)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Proposed An Amendment To Restore Funding To Medicare. "Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, has offered his party's first amendment - an attempt to remove all of the Democrats' proposals to slow the growth in Medicare spending." (David M. Herszenhorn, "Senators Begin Offering Amendments," The New York Times' "Prescriptions" Blog, 11/30/09)

• But Democrat Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Mark Begich (D-AK), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tom Carper (D-DE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jon Tester (D-MT), And Mark Warner (D-VA) Vote Against Protecting Seniors And Their Medicare Benefits. (H.R. 3590, Vote On The Motion To Recommit, Roll Call Vote Failed 42-58; R: 40-0; D: 2-56; I: 0-2, 12/3/09)

BUT SENATORS NELSON (D-NE), WEBB (D-VA) ACKNOWLEDGE CUTS TO MEDICARE BY VOTING FOR MCCAIN'S AMENDMENT

Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE) And Jim Webb (D-VA) Vote For McCain's Amendment. (H.R. 3590, Vote On The Motion To Recommit, Roll Call Vote Failed 42-58; R: 40-0; D: 2-56; I: 0-2, 12/3/09)

WILL NELSON AND WEBB VOTE AGAINST FINAL BILL WITH MEDICARE CUTS

THAT WILL CAUSE SENIORS TO LOSE THEIR DOCTORS AND BENEFITS?

Dems Admit Cuts "Will Force Doctors To Decline Medicare Patients." "Rep. Eric Massa said tightening provider payments could lead to access problems for patients. 'We will force doctors to decline Medicare patients ...'" (Ceci Connolly, "Seniors Remain Wary of Health-Care Reform," The Washington Post, 8/9/09)

• And Payment Cuts To Cardiologists Could "Threaten Access" To Needed Heart Treatments. "Medicare officials recently proposed changes that could increase payments for some primary care services but reduce payments to many specialists. Cardiologists would be especially hard hit ... 'Cuts of this magnitude could cripple cardiology practices and threaten access to services for millions of patients,' said Dr. John C. Lewin, chief executive of the American College of Cardiology." (Robert Pear, "A Basis Is Seen For Some Health Plan Fears Among The Elderly," The New York Times, 8/20/09)

Senate Dems' Bill Will Slash Medicare Advantage. "Setting payment rates in the Medicare Advantage program on the basis of the average of the bids submitted by Medicare Advantage plans in each market, yielding savings of an estimated $118 billion (before interactions) over the 2010-2019 period." (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

• CBO Director Says Cuts To Medicare Advantage Means Many Seniors Seeing Benefits Cut In Half. SEN. MIKE CRAPO (R-ID): "So approximately half of the additional benefit would be lost to those current Medicare Advantage policy holders." ELMENDORF: "Those who would be enrolled otherwise under current law, yes..." (Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) And CBO Director Douglas W. Elmendorf, Senate Finance Committee Markup Hearing, 9/22/09)

• 20 States Would See More Than 50,000 Seniors Being Dropped From Medicare Advantage. "If Congress sets MA rates at the level of county FFS spending, 11 states are predicted to lose more than 100,000 MA enrollees each, including: California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Illinois. An additional 13 states would lose between 50,000 and 100,000 MA enrollees, including: Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Florida, New York, Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee." (Adam Atherly, Ph.D. and Kenneth E. Thorpe, Ph.D., Emory School Of Public Health, "The Impact Of Reductions In Medicare Advantage Funding On Beneficiaries," 4/07)

Gore Flees in Panic from Chicago Book Signing

Copied from

larouchepac.com

I hope someone has a video of this!

November 25, 2009 (LPAC)—Not since Henry Kissinger fled a team of LaRouche organizers, in the back of a delivery truck in New York City's Central Park in the early 1980s, has an obese fascist moved so fast to escape an angry crowd, as Al Gore did today in Chicago. Appearing at a bookstore in the downtown Loop, Gore was confronted by a team of demonstrators from a grass roots group called "We Are Change," as he was signing his latest fascist screed on the global warming swindle. Gore bolted from the bookstore, raced down an alley, jumped into a waiting car, and tried to speed off, with protesters chasing after him and banging on the car. Midwest LYM organizers, who were also on the scene to confront the global warming swindler, provided an eyewitness account of Fat Albert's flight of fear.

Make no mistake about it. This little encounter is typical of the kinds of things going on all over the country, as the fascists who brought you the near-destruction of the United States and an onrushing global Dark Age, are no longer walking the streets, smug in the belief that they are literally getting away with murder. The mass strike dynamic is playing out in thousands of ways, every day, and the recent revelations about the "smoking gun" emails from the East Anglia University global warming propaganda center, have made Al Gore's life a little more miserable.

Doom Loop?

Bailouts are like powerful painkilling drugs. They feel good immediately, but do enormous damage over time if abused.

Politically, the pressure to avoid bailouts is very difficult to resist. In modern US history, Chrysler, Lockheed, Long Term Capital Management, and Savings and Loans have been graced with bailouts. Each bailout instance tends to be bigger - and more urgent - than the last. Economists tell us this is a moral hazard, (and here, and here) because the bailouts are a signal to those who run businesses that they will not be allowed to fail. This encourages them to take risks that they otherwise would not dare take.

The last batch of bailouts have been even bigger, and are approaching a point where there is a question of whether the federal government has the resources to do bailouts "this big".

This article from Seeking Alpha highlights a paper written in the United Kingdom about the "doom loop" that sums up the problem of addiction to bailouts. Each time they get bigger, until they are "too big", and then you are in real trouble.

The paper from the US can be found directly here.

Biased Media Reporting: National Public Radio

As I was driving north last Thursday afternoon listening to KTLK 100.3 FM it was encouraging to hear it reported that ten thousand people showed up at our nations Capitol to protest against the government takeover of the health care industry. It was reported that these people came from all across our country by any means possible. It was equally encouraging to hear the crowd chant "Kill the bill, Kill the bill." John Voight was also heard speaking about Liberty and Freedom, quoting our Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

As I was nearing Sandstone and the signal was growing weak, the need to change stations soon arose. My addiction to talk radio led me to stop the tuner at Wisconsin Public Radio. The show was fairly entertaining. An author of a book about poisonous plants was discussing common garden variety killers we tend to ignore in our daily lives.

Things took a turn for the worse at the top of the hour when the NPR news report took place. The National Public Radio reported "A couple of thousand people protested at the Capitol today." That was the extent of their report. No chanting crowd. No John Voight.

What an enormous contrast between the two news sources. Which source can I trust? KTLK for sure. As a participant in last April 15th's Tea Party at the Minnesota Capitol, and witness to the reporting discrepancies of the Twin Cities news outlets it is obvious that the only accurate estimate of rally attendees is Fox News and KTLK.

Just recently I have decide never to be interviewed by at least two local "journalists." Despite several interviews, I have seen first hand, my words misreported and twisted into something unrecognizable to what was actually said. Because of the tarnished history of our local and national media and their unabashed bias and dissemination of "yellow journalism," not to mention rising budget deficits, it is time to stop all tax payer funding, at all levels of government, of "public radio."

Keynes, then Friedman, now Hayek

Amity Shlaes, senior fellow in economic history at the Council on Foreign Rela­tions, is a Bloomberg News columnist.

Her e- mail address is amityshlaes@ hotmail. com.


Every economist has his day.

World War II was the era of John Maynard Keynes, who taught that a few great minds can improve an economy. The 1990s were the era of Milton Friedman, when markets proved they had the capacity to slip past government and regulatory obstacles.

The next few years? They belong to Hayek, and for that we can thank the effort to pass the health-care bill.

Friedrich von Hayek literally was an Austrian, born in Vienna in 1899. But Hayek also was a member of the Austrian school of economics, that group of scholars who built models that tried to explain the business cycle.

Having served as an artillery officer during World War I, Hayek learned that when the worst could happen, it often did. In the early 1930s he decamped to the U.K., where he taught at the London School of Eco­nomics. During the blitz, Hayek was an air warden and walked the rooftops with Keynes, the man who would become his great opponent.

As the war came to end, Hayek penned an apocalyptic tract, “The Road to Serfdom.” His thesis was that war gets people used to national plan­ning. So the planners continue to plan, even in peacetime. These incre­mental expansions of the social- wel­fare state aren’t benign. They foster the creation of ever- more-powerful interest groups. The economy becomes less productive. Political corruption in turn gives rise to dicta­tors. Foreign-policy tension or eco­nomic crisis accelerates the trend.

“‘Emergencies,’” Hayek wrote, “have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have eroded.”

When Hayek started to make such warnings, he was focusing on Britain, where the Labor Party was pulling the country to the left even as World War II was being won.

For a number of decades the main thing about Hayek seemed to be that he was wrong. Britain did head to the left, far to the left. After the war, the U.S. also institutionalized govern­ment planning in new areas. Yet nei­ther Britain nor the U.S. went social­ist or trampled personal freedoms. On the contrary, they eventually turned toward Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Those expansions of government that had taken place — the introduc­tion of Medicare and Medicaid — did­n’t seem to be getting in the way of democracy or markets.

Hayek fell out of favor. Though he won a Nobel Prize, he had to endure the humiliation of sharing it with the socialist Gunnar Myrdal. Even con­servatives preferred Friedman to

Hayek.

But this low estimation of Hayek fails to appreciate his central thought: the economic damage is sub­tle and is evident only over time.

Expanded health care, which the Democratic-controlled Congress is attempting to adopt, provides the best example. In 1964 the Democratic Party platform document contained a passage on health care. “We will con­tinue to fight until we have succeeded in including hospital care for older Americans in the Social Security Pro­gram and have insured adequate assistance to those elderly people suf­fering from mental illness,” the plat­form said.

At the time, the idea seemed radi­cal. Something beyond Social Securi­ty for seniors? This was the new, final benefit. But once a hospital-care pro­gram was in place lawmakers decid­ed that wasn’t enough, and added doctor visits to the list. In later years they expanded yet more, including, under President George W. Bush, the inclusion of Medicare Part D and pre­scription drugs in the offering.

Even that didn’t suffice, which is why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate leaders are trying to ram through a vastly expanded public health program this month. The vari­ous health- care bills, with their pro­posed mandates on individuals and their new taxes on wealthy earners or on gilded health-insurance poli­cies, are probably something Lyndon Johnson himself never envisioned.

But Hayek did. Hayek understood that a good decade where govern­ment expansion seems to stall — the 1990s — doesn’t mean government won’t expand when the next crisis comes.

The recent pattern of following a war and a financial collapse with the creation of a new entitlement is a per­fect example of the Hayekian dynam­ic in action. No doubt, a new health­care program would be only the first in a number of government incur­sions, no matter how Republicans do in the midterms.

The U.S. is on the road if not to serfdom then to less growth, less innovation, more rationing and more political corruption. Recognition of this has shown up in the spate of Hayek blogs and discussions; one economist, Don Boudreaux, has cre­ated a virtual Hayek Café.

Hayek was such a dire fellow that many tend to resist his ideas. Even those of us with serious concerns at seeing a great portion of the economy tip into the public sector were buoyed this past weekend by the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. If a big thing like the Wall can come down, then surely it won’t be impossible to kill off a small thing like the surtax on gold-plated health plans.

I and plenty of others think that Hayek is wrong. The U.S. won’t nec­essarily tip into socialism. It will eventually again embrace markets. Too bad we’ll all have to endure the long wait to find out if we’re right.

Bailout Nation

Bailouts are the new "normal". AP reports that one in five borrowers have been "reached", with permanent "mods" the next big challenge.

I shudder to think what this means long term.

This sort of program, once it has "reached" a large audience, does not end. Its constituency has a powerful voice, and politicians are not suicidal. What does it mean to have mortgages routinely "modified" by Uncle Sam? What lender will willingly originate a mortgage that is likely to be "modified"?

Though billed as good news, it is not. Voters are being bought, and taxpayers fleeced. Debtors are told they are victims rather than deadbeats. Uncle Sam is now a party in 20% of our mortgages.

How cheaply we sell our freedom and independence.....

Bailouts and Wall Street

You must read this article. It is a quick study on what is wrong with bailouts.

The bailouts must end. Each one erodes our character, and leads to a bigger collapse in the future.

We want these bad policies to end because we came to our senses, not because we have destroyed our economy.

Let Sarbox die

An unusual controversy is erupting as the US Congress panders to business interests and relieves the burdens of those with the right connections. This article describes some of the detail.

Sarbanes-Oxley should not be tweaked. It should be repealed. If Congress wants to help business, and keep the playing field "level", then it should reduce general regulatory burden.

The oversight that Sarbox is supposed to provide is not, and should not be, the province of the federal government, and no regulatory regime will take the place of care and diligence on the part of investors, bankers and customers. The market, competition, and fear of failure are the right mechanisms in business, not law enforcement.

To borrow from Jesse Jackson - "End it, don't mend it."

Time to shut down Fannie Mae

Take careful note of what has been happening in the mortgage market. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were at the center of the mortgage mess, pressuring and enabling banks to let out bad loans, and then in late 2008, pleading for - and getting - tax money to cover the losses.

This article speaks volumes. The problem has not been fixed. The alcoholic has simply been given several more bottles of Jack Daniel's, and is on another bender. He now wants several more cases of booze, and a guarantee of a continuing supply.

It is time to shut down these Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs). Their existence is based on the idea that they can be self supporting. Clearly they can't. We've made a mistake. Let's cut our losses, take our (massive) lumps, and shut them down before they do any more damage.

Beware of the Republican Establishment

by Bay Buchanan

Sent to me by By Minnesota Republican, Representative Mark Buesgens


Between the town hall meetings and the tea party rallies, millions
of Americans are taking to the streets to protest a government gone
berserk. They are angry and determined to take their country back. 
But there are snakes in the grass intent on using this movement to
return to power, not the people, but the Republican establishment.
If this happens we lose everything, including our country.

To succeed, the rebellion must produce candidates with fresh
faces--populists who share our outrage for the arrogance of
Washington, individuals who will fight for American workers and
American families.  We need primaries to nominate candidates that
aren't owned by party leaders, powerful special interests, nor
Corporate America.

Last year, seventy-five percent of Americans believed the country
was headed in the wrong direction and they threw out the bums --
Republican bums. Obama and his comrades misinterpreted the victory,
believing it was all about them, and proceeded to impose a big
government leftist agenda on a conservative nation.  Now voters are
ready to throw out this new set of bums.

Enter the Republican establishment.  They sold this country out
when they were in power and can't ever be trusted again.  But they
see an opening and are setting the stage for their own return. They
are handpicking candidates -- Bush-likes and Bush-lites -- to run
against conservatives in primaries. Many are retreads, all are
available for purchase. Then the party elite endorses their
candidate early in the primary, fills their coffers with millions
from corporate PACs and special interests, pressures party regulars
to get in line, and sends word to the grassroots candidates:
"Drop out -- you can't win".

Their game plan: shut out the conservative populists.  But if
candidates running for office because of love of country are
marginalized by the party elite, in favor of career politicians
beholden to party leaders, we are lost -- and so is America.

Look at the Senate races. The National Republican Senatorial
Committee (NRSC), led by Sen. John Cornyn, has already endorsed in
half a dozen Republican primaries, with more to come. Solid
conservatives with great credentials -- new faces, future leaders,
threats to the party elite -- were already announced candidates in
many of these races. But Cornyn and his cronies aren't about to let
the rank and file choose the candidates -- too risky. A man of the
people might slip through and too many of them could lead to
government by the people.  

In Florida, the NRSC endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist, an Arlen Specter
Republican, who is running against a young conservative Cuban-
American Marco Rubio.  Rubio was a long shot but the NRSC
endorsement so outraged conservatives nationwide it breathed new
life into his campaign.

In Colorado, District Attorney Ken Buck, a tough prosecutor of
illegal aliens, was gaining traction in his campaign for U.S.
Senate.  Enter John McCain.  He calls Jane Norton, former Lt
Governor and state chairman of his presidential bid, and convinces
her to run against Buck, promising the NRSC endorsement, plenty of
money, and a lock on the nomination.  Le Moine Dowd, a grassroots
activist, summed it up perfectly: "Do we want the NRSC deciding our
candidate?  Does this action by the NRSC make the primary election
irrelevant?  Does it make the Colorado Republican Party irrelevant?"

In Ohio, Rob Portman, a former pro-amnesty congressman and Bush
trade rep, announced his bid for the U.S. Senate earlier this year.
Then Tom Ganley, a conservative businessman from Cleveland
infuriated by the massive uncontrolled spending of Washington,
decided to run.  Mortal sin, declared the party, which told this
self-made successful businessman to get out of the race, that
"the U.S. Senate isn't an entrylevel position." The NRSC endorsed
Portman and are in full campaign mode.  (Do these nitwits really
think one of the architects of the Bush policy that sent our jobs
overseas is going to win the general election in a state with 11%
unemployment?)

This same scenario is being repeated in a dozen other states.  The
political bosses are adamant that our candidates look and talk like
them -- the kind that will get in line behind them.  Leaders that
rise up out of the rebellion and run for office will be a problem
for them.  So the snakes are out to stop them.

The rebellion must start to focus on producing candidates that will
do represent the American people in Washington -- then we must
rally behind them and defeat the establishment candidates in the
primaries. If that doesn't work, we must field candidates to run as
independents in the general. The country is too important to let the
 establishment of either party continue to have their way with her.

Pay me to move?

It is hard to keep up with the torrent of Bad Ideas coming out of the Democrats in Washington. The latest is the extension of a scheme to borrow billions of dollars from Chinese investors to induce people to change residences, as long as you make the move by November 30th of 2009. The proposal would change the deadline to April 30th, 2010.

What is this, you ask? Why in the world should we spend tax money to get people to move?

Exactly, but after all, this is Washington, and any time politicians can buy favor with tax money, temptation and stampede comes before the dawning of common sense.

In this case, it is realtors, moving companies and house buyers who win. As usual, there are a lot of those who vote, and the program is naturally popular. Who is against free money?

As usual, it is harder to finger the losers, but two of the big losers are clearly the Taxpayers, and their children.

Mr Obama was talking today about a "post bubble" economy, while doing everything possible to ensure that bubble-sustaining incentives remain.

This is insane. Until the taxpayers wake up and refuse to pay the bill, the insanity will continue.

The Obama Note

Click on photos for larger, more detailed image.

Theft and the Mob

Those of you who value freedom, and want to support the idea of private property should visit http://openinternet.gov which was set up by the FCC to "discuss" upcoming rule-making to ensure "Net Neutrality".

"Net Neutrality" boils down to "government control", but the shocking thing is the comments on the web site.

Those who barely know what the internet is, much less know how it works are claiming a "right" to broadband access, and the necessity of FCC regulation of the internet. This is the same internet that has provided unprecedented freedom and openness throughout the world precisely because it has been beyond the reach of governments. There is a good write-up here on the implications of government control of the net.

Please visit the site and post comments in support of freedom and defending the property rights of the network owners. Defend one of the last few truly free areas of our economy by defending the right of network owners to operate in freedom.

Net Neutrality is Theft

Imagine that you built a company like FedEx, and once you became successful, the federal government decided that it needed to adopt rules to ensure that you were not going to favor one type of customer over another. All your pricing policies, your marketing strategy to increase efficiency by establishing special relationships to big firms would be out the window. Your relationships with airlines and trucking companies would be scrutinized. Your customers would probably like this, if it favored them, and those it did not favor would go somewhere else. Suddenly, your pricing policies, customer service and operations would be the subject of political debates. You would be forced to bow down to politicians to stay in business. Your business would never be the same.

This is what the FCC is proposing with "Net neutrality". You can read about it here.

This is a Big Deal. Mr. Genachowski has it right in one respect, he says: "there is no question that the openness of the Internet is the secret sauce to its success". These rules will end that openness because once the FCC runs the networks, the impartial efficiency of the market will be replaced with the micromanagement of politics.

The easiest way to understand the new rules, and what drives them is that the FCC will try to prohibit the carriers (Comcast, Verizon, etc) from charging extra for better service. It would be like trying to prohibit FedEx from charging extra if your package is too heavy, but this is what they want to do.

The internet is one of the few places on earth that is still free. It is a vehicle for protest and political speech throughout the world. The growth of the internet is owed to investors who innovate and make money selling service. Put the FCC - the US Federal Government - in charge of the operations of these networks in the name of "fairness" and kiss these investors and this freedom goodbye.

We must fight this. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Make Mine Freedom (1948)

A Moment of Candor

It is rare in the Obama age to hear much candor from government officials pointing out the damage caused by government bailouts. This article at http://cnn.com is one of these rare instances.

If you feed the neighborhood cats, they will hang around your house. If you bail out imprudent financiers, they will remain imprudent, and expect further bailouts.

Bailouts are more damaging for what they do to our character than what they do to our wallets.

Copenhagen Capitulation

On October 14, Lord Christopher Monckton, a noted climate change skeptic,

gave a presentation at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN.

The last few minutes of his speech can be seen at GlobalClimateScam.com

President Obama is going to Copenhagen in a few weeks to sign a "Climate Change" treaty that will arguably surrender our sovereignty. Even the idea of doing this should be frightening, but the current administration sees it as virtuous.

It is important to weigh in on this and stop it. Check it out. Then keep those cards and letters to Congress coming.....

Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell

One of the giants in the world of economics is Thomas Sowell. He is a brilliant economist and brings a marvelous clarity to writing and to its relationship to political issues.

Mr. Sowell hits it out of the park again with two more articles, summarized and referenced here.

Mr. Sowell is also author of a wonderful economic primer called Basic Economics. (available from Amazon, too. Here.)

My Nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize

I just finished reading the book, "The Password is Courage." The accomplishments of this man, Charles Joseph Coward, outweigh anything Barack Hussein Obama could imagine in his wildest dreams.

I nominate Charlie Coward for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Here is his biography, taken from Wikipedia.org.

Charles Joseph Coward (1905—1976), known as the "Count of Auschwitz", was a British soldier captured during World War II who rescued Jews from Auschwitz.

Coward joined the Army in June 1937. He was captured in May 1940 near Calais while serving with the 8th Reserve Regimental Royal Artillery as Quartermaster Battery Sergeant Major. He managed to make two escape attempts before even reaching a prisoner-of-war camp, and then made seven further escapes, on one memorable occasion managing to be awarded the Iron Cross while posing as a wounded soldier in a German army field hospital. When in captivity he was equally troublesome, organizing numerous acts of sabotage while out on work details.

Finally, in December 1943, he was transferred to Auschwitz III (Monowitz) labour camp only five miles from the better-known extermination camp of Auschwitz II (Birkenau). Monowitz was under the direction of the industrial company IG Farben, who were building a Buna (synthetic rubber) and liquid fuel plant there. It housed over 10,000 Jewish slave labourers, as well as POWs and forced labourers from all over occupied Europe.

Thanks to his command of the German language, Coward was appointed Red Cross liaison officer for the 1,200-1,400 British prisoners. In this trusted role he was allowed to move fairly freely throughout the camp and often to surrounding towns. He witnessed the arrival of trainloads of Jews to the extermination camp, followed by their 'selection' for either slave labour or the gas chambers. Coward and the other British prisoners smuggled food and other items to the Jewish inmates, even supplying dynamite to the Sonderkommando in a partially successful attempt to blow up the gas chambers and crematoria. He also exchanged coded messages with the British authorities via letters to a fictitious Mr. William Orange, giving military information, notes on the conditions of POWs and prisoners in the camps, as well as dates and numbers of the arrival of trainloads of Jews to the extermination camp.

On one occasion a note was smuggled to him from a Jewish-British naval doctor who was being held in Monowitz. Coward determined to contact him directly and managed to swap clothes with an inmate on a work detail and spent the night in the Jewish camp, seeing at first hand the horrific conditions in which they were held.

Determined to do something about it, he used Red Cross supplies, particularly chocolate, to "buy" corpses of dead prisoners, including Belgian and French civilian forced labourers, from the SS guards. Coward then directed healthy Jewish prisoners to join the nightly marches of Jews considered unfit for further work from Monowitz to the Birkenau gas chambers. During the course of the march the healthy men dropped out of procession to hide in ditches; Coward scattered the corpses he had purchased on the road to give the impression that they were members of the column who had died on the march. He then gave the documents and clothes taken from the non-Jewish corpses to the Jewish escapees, who adopted these new identities and were then smuggled out of the camp altogether. Coward carried out this scheme on numerous occasions and is estimated to have saved at least 400 Jewish slave labourers.

After the war Coward testified at the IG Farben Trial in Nuremberg. In 1954 John Castle published a book, The Password is Courage, describing Coward's wartime activities; this was adapted into a 1962 film of the same name starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was lighthearted compared to the book and made only passing reference to Coward's time at Auschwitz; it concentrated instead on his numerous escapes and added a fictitious romantic liaison.

In 1963 Coward was named among the Righteous Among the Nations and had a tree planted in his honour in the Avenue of Righteous Gentiles in Yad Vashem. In 2003 Coward was further commemorated with the mounting of a blue plaque at his home at 133 Chichester Road, Edmonton, London, where he lived from 1945 until his death.

Under RPM Pressure, Chris Coleman Drops Out Of Governor's Race

From the GOP Newsline...

Yesterday St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman announced that he will not be running for governor, stating he will focus on getting reelected in St. Paul instead. This announcement came after weeks of hammering by the Republican Party of Minnesota and Eva Ng. Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton gave the following statement regarding Coleman's announcement.

“Now that he’s dropped out of the governor’s race he wanted desperately to win, Chris Coleman needs to stop hiding and start debating the future of the city with his opponent, Eva Ng. Coleman’s failed leadership and record of endless tax increases deserves a full airing before voters go to the polls in November.”

Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb met the press after Coleman's announcement to answer questions about the Campaign Finance Board complaint that the Republican Party of Minnesota has filed against Coleman and Mayor R.T. Rybak.

From the Pioneer Press:

Republicans, who have alleged Coleman was illegally running for governor by not filing state disclosure forms, claimed victory. "Any decisions he made are borne out of problems with campaign financing," said Michael Broadkorb, deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Click Here To Continue Reading

WTF? President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

‘Humbled’ Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Committee says president gives world’s people ‘hope for a better future’

OSLO, Norway - President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism. Read the rest of the story here...

As far as I am concerned, the Nobel Peace Prize lost its credibility when Jimmy Carter was awarded it. What has Obama done to deserve what was once upon a time such a prestigious award? In my opinion: Nothing! It may be worth investigating the makeup of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. No big surprises here, the majority is made up of socialists.

• Thorbjørn Jagland (chair, born 1950), member of Parliament, President of the Storting and former cabinet minister for the Labour Party. Member and chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2009.
• Kaci Kullmann Five (deputy chair, born 1951), former member of Parliament and cabinet minister for the Conservative Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2003, deputy chair since 2009.
• Sissel Rønbeck (born 1950), deputy director, Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren), former member of parliament and cabinet minister for the Labour Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1994.
• Inger-Marie Ytterhorn (born 1941), former member of Parliament for the Progress Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2000.
• Ågot Valle (born 1945), member of parliament for the Socialist Left Party. Member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 2009.

Two members are associated with the Labour Party which is officially a social democratic party committed to social democratic ideals. It has a history of association with Communist International and the Communist Party of Norway.

The Socialist Left Party was created through an alliance of the Socialist People's Party, Communist Party of Norway, Democratic Socialists and independent socialists. Their ideology consists of socialism and eco-socialism.

For those of you who are as shocked as I am, you can vote on whether or not you think he deserves it. Click this link to vote, Is President Obama deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize?

The last time I checked, it was 61.5% "NO" after 410,972 votes were cast.

As one commented, "What an insult to the likes of the Dali Lama and TRUE peace advocates! Its a political decision, period."